On our blog today we are interviewing the lovely author, Sarah Dalton about her series White Hart. Sarah has also been kind enough to donate some prizes for our lovely readers!
We hope you enjoy:
Hi Sarah, welcome to our blog. Please tell our readers about your series White Hart.
Hello Kimmy & Rinny, thanks for having me. White Hart is a YA fantasy novel about a girl thrown into extreme circumstances. Fifteen year old Mae has to deal with her growing elemental powers, and after a devastating event is thrown into the dangerous and mysterious Waerg Woods with her pet white stag, and a pampered Prince.The White Hart series is a mix of classic coming of age fantasy with lots of action and adventure, and fairy tales with dark woods and evil Kings. It’s a story suitable for all ages.
What inspired you to write the White Hart series?
I kept thinking about a strong yet vulnerable young women riding a white stag. The character came to me first, and then the story developed around her.
Have you always wanted to be a writer? What got you started on your writing journey?
I’ve always loved to read, and I did used to write stories, but it’s something I’ve abandoned and then come back to at different times. It took me a while to develop enough confidence to actually finish a novel. It has been around four years since I started taking my writing seriously, and since then I’ve never looked back.
What appeals to you about the young adult and epic fantasy genres?
Funnily enough, I’ve never been drawn to epic fantasy at all, at least not in adult literature. I always associated it with very dense, description filled writing and hundred and hundreds of pages. But then I started reading books by authors like Tamora Pierce, Sarah J Maas and Rae Carson and I saw how fantasy could be fast and entertaining as well as taking place in a rich environment. I love making a world from scratch (it makes research a lot easier!) and I love creating magical creatures within the world. White Hart is very much influenced by film as well as books. I had 80s adventure movies in the back of my mind, like The Neverending Story and Indiana Jones.
What are some of your favourite young adult and epic fantasy books/authors and why?
Alanna – Tamora Pierce – I love this book. One of my favourite story tropes is a young girl pretending to be a boy so she can learn to fight. I have a soft spot for tough girls, and Alanna is one of my favourites. I don’t think Tamora Pierce is as well known in the UK as she is in the USA, I had to really search for her books. I’ve not finished the series yet, and am looking forward to reading more.
The Girl of Fire and Thorns – Rae Carson – This book is so different. Rae writes the classic ‘chosen one’ story, but she gives it a unique religious edge. As someone who is not religious, at first I found that aspect a little difficult to accept, but Rae writes in such an engaging and different way, that I was soon immersed in the story. This series is one of my favourites, I love the unique settings, and the confusing nature of God’s will, and how thoughtful the books are. There’s no need to have faith in order to read this book, you can be an atheist and still enjoy it.
Throne of Glass – Sarah J Maas - Another favourite character trope of mine – the dangerous and yet vulnerable young woman. You will love and hate Celaena, you will also love to hate her. She’s arrogant and violent, and yet she is loyal and loving, too. Love triangle haters might not enjoy the romantic subplot, but if you love assassins and royal drama, you’ll really enjoy Throne of Glass.
I’ve also heard great things about Terah Edun’s Courtlight series, and I haven’t finished, but enjoy Morgan Rice’s The Sorcerer’s Ring series.
What makes White Hart stand out from all the other young adult series?
The Girl of Fire and Thorns – Rae Carson – This book is so different. Rae writes the classic ‘chosen one’ story, but she gives it a unique religious edge. As someone who is not religious, at first I found that aspect a little difficult to accept, but Rae writes in such an engaging and different way, that I was soon immersed in the story. This series is one of my favourites, I love the unique settings, and the confusing nature of God’s will, and how thoughtful the books are. There’s no need to have faith in order to read this book, you can be an atheist and still enjoy it.
Throne of Glass – Sarah J Maas - Another favourite character trope of mine – the dangerous and yet vulnerable young woman. You will love and hate Celaena, you will also love to hate her. She’s arrogant and violent, and yet she is loyal and loving, too. Love triangle haters might not enjoy the romantic subplot, but if you love assassins and royal drama, you’ll really enjoy Throne of Glass.
I’ve also heard great things about Terah Edun’s Courtlight series, and I haven’t finished, but enjoy Morgan Rice’s The Sorcerer’s Ring series.
What makes White Hart stand out from all the other young adult series?
It has a more fairy tale edge to it, and it’s also aimed a little younger than most YA fantasy. I want to give an opportunity for my characters to grow up, which is why they start out as a little immature. I’m also quite a mean puppet-master, so expect my poor characters to go through a lot of heartache along the way.
Sarah Dalton:
Sarah mainly writes speculative fiction for a Young Adult audience and has had pieces of short fiction published in the Medulla Literary Review, PANK magazine, Apex Magazine and the British Fantasy Society publication Dark Horizons. Her short story ‘Vampires Wear Chanel’ is featured in the Wyvern Publication Fangtales.
She is also the author of the popular YA dystopia series 'Blemished' and the YA gothic series Mary Hades.
Stop by and say hi to Sarah:
